It’s very easy to fall in love with charming San Francisco, California. But it’s a long-distance love, a six-hour drive up to the north, through the California interstate freeway 5. Longer still, if you take the scenic route along the Pacific Coast. But SF beckons once in a while and so we come. Again and again. We cross the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, ride the cable cars, drive down hilly streets past gorgeous Victorian homes and savor the glorious clam chowder and seafood!
So today we went on this road trip starting from home in the morning and arriving at 3PM at the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, our first stop is the Golden Gate Bridge. Usually, we go straight to the chowders, but today, the Bridge comes first. The chowder can wait. We parked the car by the Welcome Center and were pleasantly surprised - there was no parking fee today! Our lucky day!
We jumped out of the car and wasted no time in trying to get a clear first picture of the day, angling for a good view of the Bridge, but not before wading through a sea of people for that unobstructed view. Finally, we snapped a good one - the Golden Gate Bridge over blue waters, and in the background - a clear blue sky, none of that famous SF fog!
We took a load of pictures, and selfies of course, and from here, we planned to take a stroll along the bridge walkway before they close it to pedestrians by nightfall. We plan to walk only halfway - or less - of its 2-mile length, past the first tall tower.
AN ENGINEERING FEAT
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco’s architectural gem, said to be an engineering marvel, was built during the Great Depression. It is deemed to be one of the most photographed bridges in the world as it is a spectacular 2-mile bridge with two 750-foot-tall towers, gorgeous Art Deco elements, ‘sweeping main cables, and a unique vibrant color called ‘International orange’.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge, where the roadway deck is suspended by main cables that pass over the top of tall towers, which support most of the bridge’s weight. Connected to these main cables are smaller vertical cables called suspenders, that pull the weight of the roadway to the main cables. The main cables are then secured to an anchorage at each end of the bridge. A truss system under the roadway deck stabilizes the bridge and reduces its tendency to sway.
Here’s a close-up picture of one of the Golden Gate bridge’s main suspension cables. It’s about three feet thick in diameter and weighs 12,000 tons, It is made of galvanized carbon steel wire bound tightly together.
Here are the vertical suspenders; each suspender rope is more than two inches thick in diameter.
This is one of two tall towers on the bridge; its height is 750 feet above the water and 500 feet above the roadway. It was designed with Art Deco elements.
Each tower in the bridge has approximately 600,000 of these rivets.
This is the concrete Anchorage at the south end of the bridge.
The original concept of the Golden Gate Bridge was conceived by architect Joseph Strauss. It was his dream to build a bridge over the Golden Gate, the narrow strait that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. His design though was later replaced by a suspension bridge, which was proposed by other engineers in his team. Irving Morrow, one of the later architects, added the graceful Art Deco detailing in the towers, the street lamps, and railings. He also decided on the color dubbed ‘International orange’ color. It was built in four years and opened to the public in 1937. Upon its completion, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world.
Stone signage honoring architect Joseph Strauss in “Men of Vision”
"THE MIGHTY TASK IS DONE"
Joseph Strauss was not only an engineer and architect. Apparently, he was also a poet. Upon completion of the Golden Gate Bridge, he wrote a beautiful poem of the above title. Here’s an excerpt from the goldengate.org
WALKING ON THE BRIDGE
We strolled northbound along the Golden Gate Bridge along a walkway on the east sidewalk. Braving the cold and the wind - yes, it was windy which made it more chilly - we entered the bridge from the south end, the city of San Francisco (the north end is Marin county). A few pedestrians were walking with us - some in the same direction, others in the opposite. We also had to dodge a few bicycle riders. It’s always fun to walk here, suspended between the ocean and the sky, the wind fluttering in your face. It’s an exhilarating experience!
This is on the bridge walkway, with the main cable hanging over us; part of the bridge is fenced off for safety.
Getting close to the south tower, with vertical suspenders in the backdrop.
Still on the bridge, next to vertical suspenders with the city of San Francisco and the Bay in the background.
A snapshot of the railings, SF City, and the water below. Looking down kind of gave me butterflies in the stomach.
So we reached the 750-ft South tower. Yup, it is tall!
Past the south tower were these Art Deco street lamps! They light up the bridge beautifully at night. There’s the north tower far in the background.
We were getting close to the middle of the bridge and I could feel the bridge vibrate when cars passed by! Scared me a little so I had to hold on to the railings for support. Not much later, we decided to turn back. We made a few more stops and took more pictures, of course. At the foot of the bridge, we took the return route passing by the adjacent Bridge Plaza which had some interesting displays.
The street signage shows the direction of the bridge walkway and the Bridge Plaza
We snapped a few more pictures as we got farther away from the bridge and on towards the Plaza.
At the Plaza, there was a model of a suspension bridge; kids were having fun tugging at the cables.
An interactive screen shows a picture of the bridge under construction between 1935 and 1937.
BRIDGE VIEW FROM THE HILLS
There is a famous vista point up on the hill which is an even better spot to view the Bridge. So back to the car, we drove up through narrow and winding roads and got to the place called Hawk Hill. Because of its high vantage point, it was a perfect spot for a panoramic view of the bridge.
Beautiful panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge from Hawk Hill
We also drove down to the Battery Spencer, another popular vantage point of the Bridge from the west side. It was definitely colder and windier up here. But it was beautiful!
By contrast, below were some of the shots we took a few years back. It was also summertime, but it was close to sundown and the SF fog has rolled in. The pictures are a lot dimmer.
CLAM CHOWDER HERE WE COME!
Leaving the bridge behind, we drove to Fisherman’s Wharf in anticipation of that warm clam chowder that we have come here for the nth time. To our amazement and great sadness, our go-to restaurant has been closed, dark, and padlocked! So is the whole row of restaurants next to it. They closed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not survive. Only the bigger ones did. Sooo sad!
We did get our clam chowder alright. Served warm in sourdough bread at Boudin restaurant, it was good but did not quite taste as savory as in years past. (Biased? ) But we enjoyed the appetizers - crispy fried calamari - and the drinks.
So all is well that ends well!
Tomorrow we’ll visit San Francisco’s Victorian homes in the ‘Postcard Row’, also called the Seven Painted Ladies. We’ll tell you all about it in a future post.
Thanks for the read guys. Have a nice day!
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.820574 lat -122.451709 long golden gate bridge d3scr)
I was here, wayback 2015 my fave spot was the cliff that has a great view of the Alcatraz Prison, so glad to see this iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and planned for another visit with my whole fam.
Thanks for sharing☀️
Glad to know that you have been here. San Francisco is really a charming city. By the way did you tour the Alcatraz Island?
They say that the best time to visit San Francisco is the months of May-June and September-October.
Thank you for dropping by.
I couldn't tour the whole island because my colleagues were filming the GGB and I was like, ok, I will take a break from walking and have some great food at the bay, and that was a very chilly day too in the first week of January. And yes, the months you've mentioned are the best time to get there so you can enjoy your visit.
Still a very beautiful structure, iconic! The view never changed since we last visited it 3 decades ago. And the pics were wonderfully taken, bravo! Cheers!
It is indeed an iconic landmark in San Francisco. Yes, the view never changed since I saw it first in my notebook covers (lol). Thank you for the compliments.
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Have an awesome week!
This is one of the structures that I am dreaming of visiting.
I hope it will happen soon. Funny remembering that in grade school I could only look and dream about it from pictures in my notebook. Now it is in person. Have a wonderful night @afterglow.
That's a very beautiful and iconic structure, It is quite a landmark and recognisable.
Keep writing such wonderful publications.
Have a great day.
Hi @sahiba-rana,
Yes, the Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic landmark of the city of San Francisco, California We are sharing its history and beauty captured through the pictures.
We will continue to feature interesting structures and places we discover in our travels. Thank you for stopping by.
This bridge is emblematic and iconic of San Francisco, there are no photos or even movies that when you see the image of this infrastructure and do not recognize what place it is. It is undoubtedly a structure recognized worldwide. Greetings!
!discovery 35
True. You cannot miss that unique architecture and beautiful vibrant orange color.
The US Navy actually lobbied for blue and yellow stripes for more visibility. But....
The Golden Gate Bridge has been on my bucket list for many years! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for dropping by.
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1593.
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Thank you for sharing the beautiful place . It is so amazing!
Thank you for stopping by.
Every time I tried to see that bridge, the weather decided to fight against me (and I obviously lost). Your pictures are amazing, and I definitely envy you!
Cheers!
Hi @lemouth,
Yes, it was a clear and sunny day when we visited the Bridge. The famous San Francisco fog has probably dissipated when we got there.
They say June is the foggiest month in SF, sometimes called the "June gloom". We were just lucky.
Thanks for dropping by.
Hello @sisterhood2. I have become nostalgic after seeing your post about the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It opened up beautiful memories of the marvelous moments I enjoyed with that iconic landmark years ago during my travel escapades on the West Coast of the North American continent.
Do you know that it's said that a major portion of the cement used in constructing that humongous structure was imported from Cebu in the Philippines?
Hi @storiesoferne,. Aww, I'm glad the pictures evoked happy memories of your cherished travels. Someone said, "travel is not just seeing the sights, it's a change that goes on deep and permanent , in the ideas of living". Let's keep traveling.
Cebu cement in SF Golden Gate Bridge? Wouldn't that be awesome if it was rightfully recorded in the books...for posterity. Have a great day!
Indeed @sisterhood2. Traveling to international destinations helps us grow and opens our horizons to endless possibilities. In fact, we also become storytellers, enriching the lives of others with our unforgettable experiences.
That's true. Cebu cement in the SF Golden Gate Bridge is not officially documented but has spread through witnesses who claimed that it's the case. At least it's one remarkable legacy we can definitely be proud of as Cebuanos and Filipinos in general. Have a fantastic one! 😊
It's been a long time since I've been up to the Bay Area, wonderful pics and now you've got me craving clam chowder in a bread bowl 🤤
It's been quite a while for us too and the weather was fine so off we went. This is a good time too to drive on the crooked street of Lombard with flowers in bloom. Oh yeah, the chowder is soo good. Thank you for dropping by.
The Golden Gate Bridge has been on my bucket list for many years now! I hope I can make it one day. Thanks for sharing such beautiful images of this wonder
Hope you can cross it off that list soon. Thank you for dropping by.
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